1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in doll figures, and more particularly, in doll figures which are capable of performing a therapeutic function by generating a message of a known or unknown person and also capable of having facial expressions altered to attempt to represent a known or unknown person.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Dolls have long been used as play toys for children including both male and female children. Moreover, there have been dolls which are sold in kit form along with a wardrobe of clothing for that doll in order to enable the dress form of the doll to be changed at the will of the child.
Heretofore, there have also been dolls with sound generating mechanisms located within the doll. For example, in the case of non-human toys, a sound generating mechanism can be made to generate the sound of e.g. a cow when a portion of the cow, e.g. the tail of the cow is moved. In addition, there have been toy dolls which are capable of generating sounds such as a crying sound or a sound such as the word "Mama" when the doll is moved. Each of these aforesaid sound generating mechanisms are limited in the sounds that can be produced or for that matter, the words or phrases which can be produced.
In addition to the foregoing, there have been dolls which are capable of generating a sentence or perhaps two sentences when a string is pulled on the doll. This string, when pulled, causes the rotation of a drum or similar sound producing member and in conjunction with an associated mechanism causes the generation of the sound. Here again, the message is fixed and cannot be changed and moreover, it is a message of an unknown person which has nothing to do with the child itself or people in close relationship to the child.
In child therapy, the therapist will oftentimes attempt to use a doll figure in order to communicate with a child patient. The doll is usually comfortable to the child since it is soft, light in weight, and convenient for the child to hold and is an object to which the child can cling. However, in this type of child therapy, the doll is an inanimate, silent object and therefore has limited value. It has been recognized that the doll could have significantly greater value if the doll were capable of becoming part of the communication path between the therapist and the child.
It has also been recognized that children who must remain in a hospital environment for physical health purposes, will oftentimes heal more rapidly if they are in the presence of loved ones, as for example, their parents and brothers or sisters. However, in many cases, it is impractical, if not impossible to have the parents immediately present and particularly where the child must be in a quarantine area. Consequently, it would be desirable to have a doll figure which is capable of also operating in a communication path between the parent and the child.
In addition to the foregoing, it would also be highly desirable to have a doll figure in which the facial expressions of that doll can be changed. In this way, the child, or for that matter, an adult can attempt to change the facial expressions of the doll figure to conform to that of a known or unknown human being.